


Bonds Broken

by kittyface27



Series: In Denial About Marineford [4]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Broken Family, Depression, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Not A Happy Ending, OOC, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Running from problems, Self-Hatred, Shirohige Kaizoku-dan | Whitebeard Pirates, Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate Lives, Sorry Not Sorry, back in the past, everyone hates each other, everyone hates pops and marco, feeling alone, mistreated ace, poor ace, sort of fix-it marineford, the whitebeards lose Ace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25083448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyface27/pseuds/kittyface27
Summary: After Ace is reverted back to how he was a couple months before his execution at Marineford, he knows what will happen and exactly how to fix it. He just didn't count on his father and brother not believing him, and successfully destroying everything they once had and could have had. There's only so much pain you can put someone in before they snap.
Relationships: Masked Deuce & Portgas D. Ace, Portgas D. Ace & Whitebeard Pirates
Series: In Denial About Marineford [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683358
Comments: 11
Kudos: 169





	Bonds Broken

**Wanted to try something different, something that wasn't fluffy and with a happy ending. So, this isn't a happy sotry with a happy ending. Lots of angst. I haven't written anything like this before. So, here it is. A super-angst one-shot! Some may be OOC. Enjoy~**

**Edit: Due to request, included a small epilogue.**

* * *

" _Thank you for loving me!"_

Ace sat straight up with a scream, clawing at his bare chest, breathing heavily, panting like he'd been running for days. He looked around, the signs of a terrible battlefield fading. The sight of his traumatized brother, the sounds of screams, explosions, Luffy's denials of Ace's condition.

Ace realized he was in his room, the second division commander's room. His breathing evened out, but then he realized tears were coming from his eyes, hot and plentiful. They trailed down his cheeks and onto the sheets below him. Snot ran from his nose, and he hunched his back, sobbing into his hands.

He remembered everything. What happened to Thatch, the torture at Impel Down, the sight of his family fighting to the death for him. All because Teach betrayed. Pops was in terrible condition by the time he ordered all of them to leave. To leave him behind to die. And then Ace blew it, all of their work and sacrifice gone to shit.

Sabo had been right. Ace was reckless, and refusing to run wasn't always the answer. Memories, bitter and full of pain, rushed through his frantic mind. Everything, he recalled everything. He looked down at his chest, seeing it was perfectly intact. But the phantom pain was still there, the magma fist thrust through his back and chest.

He was impressed he hadn't vomited yet. He scrunched his eyes closed at the sights and sounds of a war all because of him. He put his head in his hands, wishing it would all stop. He didn't want to remember, didn't want to see what he'd seen. What he'd felt.

How Gramps had refused to help him. How it had all been up to Luffy. How sick he'd been, how injured. He'd gone through hell in Impel Down to save him, and look how Ace had repaid him, dying in his arms. But, he'd protect Luffy again if it were to all happen a second time.

Then, he finally left that trance he was in. He knew this was not just a graphic dream. It showed the future. Maybe he had been reborn, since he was sure he died. He glared and threw the blankets off of him, putting on shorts before storming out of his room and into the hall, hurrying to Pops' door, and slamming it open without even knocking.

Ace was furious. Furious at Teach, at himself for failing to avenge Thatch. Well, he'd fix things this time, he'd kill Teach before he could betray. He'd never been one of them in the first place, had only stuck around for the devil fruit. The devil fruit he wanted to kill Pops with. He was furious.

Pops sat up, clearly noticing the new presence in his room if the sound of his door slamming open hadn't been what woke him. "Ace, son?" Whitebeard asked in confusion, seeing the flaming Ace, who couldn't control the flames licking his shoulders in rage. He had to tell Pops everything. He knew he'd believe him.

"Hey, Pops. I gotta tell you something. Sorry for not knocking…" Ace said, voice hard and angry, still. He couldn't calm himself. He couldn't stop the anger swirling inside of him. Hopefully talking to Pops about it would calm him down and they could come up with a plan. Something to fix this all with. Maybe this was a blessing, and he could off Teach while he still could. Before he found the fruit.

But when was that? He had no idea when everything had gone to shit, it could happen any day. "What is bothering you?" Whitebeard asked in concern, patting his bed for Ace to come over. Ace closed the bedroom door behind him.

Ace sat on the edge of the bed, not sure where to start. "I think I saw the future. Or came from the future," he said. To say it wasn't what Pops was expecting was an understatement. He looked shocked and confused.

"Why do you think this?" Popa asked in confusion.

So, Ace explained everything that he'd seen. Everything that would happen in the future. The nightmare that would happen if they did nothing to prevent it. He explained it in detail, every minute detail. The wounds he saw everyone get. The sight of Thatch covered in blood, the feeling of having a magma fist slamming through his chest. His last words.

"Oh son. I'm so sorry you saw that," Pops said sincerely.

"So when are we going to kill Teach?" Ace asked quickly, wanting to take care of everything as soon as possible. But he didn't get the look from Pops he thought he would. The man looked uncomfortable, and almost pitying. Ace started to get a bad feeling.

"Son, we have no proof that all of that happens. We can't kill Teach based on that," he said, and Ace was shocked.

"B-But I saw everything!" Ace protested, not believing this. How could Pops not want to act quickly? How could he not want to stop the situation as soon as possible? To save all of them, everybody. Who knows how long Thatch had until everything went to shit? They had to act now! Like, that night!

Whitebeard put a hand on Ace's shoulder. "It might have all been a nightmare, son. It's late, and it was an exhausting day today," the captain pointed out. Ace stared at him, the look on his face, of pity and discomfort.

Pops… didn't believe him. "But… I know it wasn't a dream! It was too detailed, and I felt the pain of the magma fist! I saw everything, three months worth! It wasn't a dream!" Ace said frantically, trying to not to let his hurt consume him. He had to convince Pops. he had to! Why wasn't he believing him?!

"Teach has been here for thirty years, Ace. I have not noticed him being evil in any way. I would like to think I know my sons," Pops said patiently, though his voice was insistent.

"I know what I saw!"

Whitebeard didn't sigh, he just looked sad. "Do you know when everything happens?"

Ace thought, but had seen no date. "No, but I know it will! We have to get rid of Teach, to save Thatch and countless others! There's no choice, believe me!" Ace begged, losing control of the situation. Losing his cool. Pops wasn't looking at him like he believed him.

"Why don't we sleep on it? We can speak of it in the morning. I want you to get some sleep, son," Pops said seriously. How the hell could he think Ace would sleep after everything he'd learned?

Ace was looking at Pops' face, trying to find any source of believing Ace. "You're wrong, you're wrong about Teach, Pops! And how could I sleep after seeing everything? How can I not act from that? I know it's true, it's not a bad dream," Ace insisted.

"Ace, haven't you been low on your narcolepsy medication? Doesn't that cause night terrors?" Whitebeard asked patiently. He was trying to convince Ace what he'd seen wasn't the future. That everything was in his head. That he had dreamt all of it. And it was true that running out of medication or lowering the dose made him have nightmares, but this couldn't be a nightmare. That was just a coincidence.

"But, this is different. It wasn't a nightmare, we have to do something about Teach now!" Ace said, fear and hurt blossoming his chest. A familiar feeling was seeping into his heart, but he tried to push it away. He couldn't get distracted by that right now, not when Pops wasn't believing him.

He put his hand on Ace's shoulder and looked at him sternly. "I don't want you doing a thing about Teach. We have no proof that he needs to die. I have faith in my sons," he said seriously. Ace wanted to shoot back that he clearly wasn't having faith in Ace. He knew it wasn't a nightmare.

"I want you to go back to sleep. We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?" He said it in a final voice, and Ace got up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut so loud it echoed down the hall.

Pops didn't believe him. He hadn't felt this hurt since Sabo died. Not even after Thatch died, not even after he was going to be executed, not even when Gramps was going to let him die, had Ace ever felt so hurt. And destroyed inside.

But of course Pops didn't believe him. Ace was worthless. Nobody should love Ace. He didn't deserve it. But, he couldn't let his hurt overcome him. There was someone else who he could tell, who would believe him and convince Pops. Ace wiped the tears away and walked to Marco's room, opening the door more quietly this time.

He walked to Marco's bed, sidestepping the mess of clothes that was his floor. For someone who was so organized, his room was incredibly messy. "Marco. Marco, wake up," he said, shaking the first mate's shoulder harshly. He jerked awake, and blinked sleepily before he saw Ace and realized he wasn't alone in the room.

"Ace? What are you doing in here?" he asked tiredly.

"I gotta tell you something," Ace said, and explained everything he'd seen, and Whitebeard's reaction. Marco looked horrified at everything Ace was telling him, and Ace felt hope blossom in his chest. "Pops thinks that I was dreaming, but I know I wasn't."

His expression changed in an instant. "Pops didn't believe you?" Marco asked seriously. Ace shook his head. Marco ran his hand down his face and sighed. "You don't believe in Pops' decision?"

Ace grew angry. "Of course not! I know I wasn't dreaming!"

Marco said, "Well, he was right about being out of narcolepsy pills, right? Remember your last nightmare?" Ace did. It was about Sabo not being dead but having just shown up on the ship. He'd woken in tears and ran outside to search for him.

"B-But, I know I wasn't dreaming. I felt it in my chest. Dreams wouldn't cause that much pain. I even know what my final words were," Ace protested. Marco frowned at him.

"I'm sorry, Ace. I trust Pop's intuition. We would have noticed by now if Teach was rotten. Even you would have, you're a great judge of character," Marco said kindly, and Ace scowled.

"Don't try to be nice. Don't try to butter me up. THATCH DIES! Do you not even care? Do you not care if your brother will be stabbed in the back and die?!" Marco glared at him, and Ace thought he crossed a line. "I'm a commander, don't you trust me?!"

Marco sighed. "First of all, of course I don't want Thatch to die! Don't say something like that to any of us. I trust you Ace, but I trust Pops more. He's the captain, he knows what's best. I think you should sleep on this, he was right. We can talk about it in the morning when you're cooled down a bit more."

Ace scoffed and stood up. "I'll take care of it myself." Marco was there in an instant, gripping Ace's shoulder tightly, painfully. He warned Ace that if he hurt Teach, then he'd end up being the traitor, and nobody wanted that. Nobody wanted anyone betraying.

Ace pulled away from him. "Yeah, of course. You don't want anyone betraying, which is why you won't do anything about being told one of us will. Even if I did off Teach, I wouldn't be the traitor. I can't believe this," Ace said angrily. He hid the absolute pain and despair from his voice. Marco's face fell.

"I do believe in you Ace, but I don't see this time being plausible or possible. Pleas, don't sow doubt in the crew about Teach. Don't say anything. Everyone will just be angry and confused," Marco said sincerely. Trying to salvage the situation, even though enough had been said for Ace to understand the gist.

Ace shook his head, didn't reply and left the room. He stormed out of the ship and onto the deck, climbing up the ratlines and into the crowsnest, before breaking into silent sobs. Nobody believed him. At least, those that could convince others didn't believe him. Ace had never felt more hurt. He had never felt more alone in his life.

Of course he wasn't believed about this. Teach was one of the original ones. More trustworthy than Ace was. But Teach wasn't a commander, Ace was. You'd think he'd have more trust. Who cares who's been there longer, Ace was one of the higher ups! His word should mean something!

He raked his nails down his face, trying to stop the sobs. He was ordered not to tell anybody of his vision. Or _he'd_ be the hated one. He calmed down after a few moments, and knew there was only one other person who might believe him. Someone who wasn't biased for Teach. Ace wanted to murder him right now, but he would be the one hunted and executed.

He dropped down back onto the deck and walked inside with his hands in his pockets to the sixth divisions quarters. He opened the door gently, and headed to his original family, before anybody else on this crew. Anyone else in the world besides Luffy and Sabo. He wished Luffy was there, he'd believe Ace. He knew he would.

Ace walked to Deuce's bunk and shook him awake like he had Marco. Deuce woke up, looking sleepy before he saw Ace. "Ace?" he asked quietly, not wanting to wake anyone else. "What's wrong?"

"Can I talk to you?" Ace whispered.

"Of course," Deuce replied, and sat up, putting his shoes on and leaving the room with Ace silently. Ace led them back out onto the deck, to the back. The one on watch duty was back in the crowsnest, so Ace couldn't go back there to talk about something he was ordered not to. He hadn't received an order from Marco in awhile. At least, not one like that. Not one to silence him.

They sat on the back deck, and Ace broke into tears, Deuce extremely confused and concerned, hugging Ace, soothing him until he was calm enough to tell his former crew member what he'd been through, and how Pops and Marco had reacted. He was furious afterwards. After hearing everything.

"They… didn't believe you?" he asked in disbelief. Ace shook his head, corners of his mouth shaking again. "Well, can we do something about it? On our own?" he asked hurriedly. "We can prove it, since that's what they want," he insisted.

Ace knew he'd believe him. His first best friend besides Sabo. His first crew member that had been with him for two years before being kidnapped. Deuce had been one of those to convince Ace to stay, as it made him happy and he wanted Ace to be happy. He was Ace's confidant, even if they didn't spend too much time together anymore. Ace had his duties and now 1600 brothers he had to divide his time among. And Deuce had never been hurt by that, knowing Ace cared about him and always would.

Deuce trusted Ace with his life, after all. Had from the very beginning when they'd met on that island that should have been both of their graves. "Like what? I've been gagged, I can't tell anyone else," Ace said, voice no longer wobbly as he was trying to think clearly, around the pain in his heart. The familiar feeling of being seen as worthless. Seen as nothing.

"Can't we do surveillance? Maybe we can plant a baby den den on him somewhere," Deuce suggested. Ace perked up.

"I can get one from Haruta. The perks of being a commander. I know it's an abuse of power, but it's to save Thatch. I can get a few lectures about privacy once I'm caught," Ace said with a smirk. Then his face softened again and his gaze fell to the deck below him. "I… I feel undervalued. I feel unimportant. They didn't believe me, Deuce," Ace whispered.

He put his hand on his former-captain's shoulder. "All the more reason to prove to them you're right, and that it wasn't all a dream," the blue haired man said with a smile. Ace nodded, and told him he'd talk to him in the morning. Once Deuce walked back to his shared room, Ace went to the intelligence room and snagged a tiny den den, small enough to clip onto a piece of clothing.

Ace then snuck back to the room Teach stayed in and erased his presence before planting it in the inside of his shirt before hurrying out of the room and back to his own to try and sleep, feeling hope. Maybe Pops and Marco had just been too tired and were frustrated Ace went into their rooms without knocking.

There was no way they'd brush him off for something that serious.

-x-

Ace… felt unwelcome. He felt like an outcast. Everyone treated him normally besides Marco. He seemed angry with Ace. Pops was even worse, he wasn't angry, but looked at Ace in pity. But he was still hurt based on last night. Hurt beyond belief. And when he'd tried to sleep, all he'd gotten was a tidal wave of insecurities and pain.

A tidal wave of feeling unwanted, untrusted. And being around Thatch was horrible. All he could think about was that he'd failed to avenge his friend. And he could not help it. He couldn't not project his feelings onto Thatch. He sat with him after lunch.

"So, what's with you and Marco?" Thatch asked after baking cookies and giving half of the batch to Ace to devour. He frowned around the cookies.

"I told him something important and he just brushed it off. Didn't believe me," Ace said sadly. Thatch frowned, and asked if he'd told pops about it. "Pops didn't believe me either. They both didn't believe what I'd said."

Thatch's jaw dropped. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ace. What did you say that they didn't believe you about?" Ace frowned, and told the chef he'd been put on a gag order by Marco, which shocked the man even more. "But, you're a commander. He can't do that," he protested angrily.

Ace shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. But it felt real shitty, I'll say that much." He had hardened his feelings about last night, determined to prove them wrong. He frowned and then nervously asked, "Thatch, would you want to ever eat a devil fruit?"

"Hmm, probably not. Why?"

Ace hummed, "Just wondering. If you ever find this one, you should get rid of it. It's called the dark dark fruit. I heard it causes demons to haunt you wherever you go unless you tame them. Definitely bad news," Ace said seriously.

"Aw, fuck no. I ain't getting that fruit," Thatch said, believing Ace and making him grin.

"Good, good," Ace said. While they were chatting, Marco walked into the galley, and called Ace over to him. Ace scowled, not wanting to. He was still angry and hurt. And still a bit in shock about their reactions. Marco had been angry while Pops had felt pity. Both were unfortunate and surprising reactions.

But, he got up and went to the first mate, staring at him coldly. "How did you sleep last night?" Marco asked, though he sounded a bit awkward and uncomfortable.

"Fine. Is that all you wanted to ask?" Ace replied frostily. Marco frowned deeply, and Ace said nothing while he waited for an answer with cold eyes. Eyes that you didn't direct at family. But he couldn't help it, he was still hurting.

"Pops wants to talk to you, he asked me to get you." Ace said okay and walked past him and went to find Pops on his chair. Marco didn't follow and Ace didn't turn around to see his reaction. To be honest, Ace didn't want to be anywhere near Marco, or Pops for that matter.

The captain had made Ace feel loved and welcomed. Now it was tinged with bitterness and regret and pain. Pain he knew would only go away with an apology and the man believing what he'd seen. "Hello, son. How are you doing?"

"Fine," Ace said again, the same response to Marco. Whitebeard asked if he'd gotten any more sleep. "No. I can't exactly sleep after seeing something like that," Ace replied, voice hard. He couldn't help the glaring at Pops. The twisted scowl. Whitebeard looked sad.

"I'm sorry I made you feel bad, Ace. That wasn't my intention. We'll be landing on an island soon, so you'll get some new narcolepsy medication soon. Then you won't have night terrors like last night." Ace didn't refute what he was saying, knowing that getting in an argument would be useless. If Pops hadn't believed him before, that wouldn't be changing.

Teach then walked out on deck, and Ace looked at him in fury and hate. He wanted to burn him to death, throw him overboard to be eaten by sea kings. Wanted him to die a painful death, excruciatingly slow and methodological. As long as he didn't have the dark dark fruit, Ace could take him out.

Whitebeard, of course, saw this. "Son, please don't act like that. Teach won't understand and it might cause problems for the crew." Ace couldn't help but reply angrily.

"You think I care? After what I told you, you think I'd care about his safety or feelings? I'm not doing anything because Marco put a gag order on me," he snapped disrespectfully. Whitebeard was shocked with the tone, since he hadn't directed one like that at him since he was first taken prisoner on the ship over a year ago.

"Don't take that tone with me, son. And it is your duty to protect _all_ under your division. Do not forget your duties," Whitebeard said sternly. Any other time, Ace would have been upset for angering the captain or being scolded, but it was nothing compared to last night. Anger from the captain would have been better than pity and doubt.

Ace nodded and left without another word. He didn't give a shit about Teach. He didn't give a shit about protecting him. He did his duties, working with his navigators, though everyone noticed he was grouchy, and stayed out of his way.

When Teach came his way later, Ace ignored him. "Commander Ace, Jerri wanted me to come get you. Two of the mapping pens broke," the fat traitor said.

"Okay," Ace said, and walked away. Teach was left looking confused. Ace heard Jirashi tell him that Ace was in a bad mood for some reason, and to not take it personally. Ace went to see the mapping pens, which were old and two of the twelve had been stepped on. He huffed, and threw them away before going to the log and writing down that they were in need of two more mapping pens and a new bottle of ink.

He sighed, and put his forehead against the wall trying to calm his feelings. He couldn't let them get the best of him, he had to prove to them he was telling the truth, and that would involve faking moving on. He couldn't let anyone know he was still after Teach. He didn't know how he would accomplish this, but he would. He would not let Thatch die.

-x-

Two days later, the temporary mic had run out of charge and Ace had gotten nothing useful from it. He was meeting with Deuce in the library. "That plan failed. Should have known it wouldn't work in the first place," Ace grumbled. He bit his thumb nail, thinking. "Well, we'll have to come up with another plan."

Deuce hummed. "Maybe you can interrogate him? But be sneaky about it. Bring up the topic of the fruit and see his reaction."

Ace pointed out that, even if he got a reaction, there was no reason anybody would believe him if he was on his own. He had to have someone else with him to see it. After all, they didn't believe him when he outright told them. "I can't steal another mic, Haruta noticed. Of course he did," Ace grumbled.

Deuce looked troubled. Neither of them had any ideas. "I should be going on a mission with some of my division soon. I can have Teach go with me. Off him in secret-"

" _Ace,"_ Deuce hissed, and Ace jerked backwards before frantically glancing around. He put his head in his hands, and growled. He couldn't do that, or he really would be the traitor and would be hunted himself. While he couldn't handle Thatch dying and Teach getting away, he could never be able to be the villain. It would destroy him.

"I don't know what to do, Deuce," Ace said softly. "I can't focus on anything but making sure the nightmare doesn't come about. I can't look at Pops or Marco without wanting to hit them." He wanted to punch Pops in the face. He was still so angry and betrayed, and didn't know if it would get any better or any worse. He hated feeling that way.

He wished things could go back to normal, that his premonition or future had been a dream. But he knew it wasn't. Deep down, he knew everything he'd seen would come to pass unless he did something about it. And that was being hindered by his _family._ He was unable to protect his family because his family was in the way.

If he could just kill Teach in private, everything would be fine! But it would be so suspicious, he would be caught. He was a good liar, but not good at concealing his emotions, which would no doubt give him away.

Deuce put his hand on Ace's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ace," he said sincerely. There was no pity, just sympathy. Ace sniffled and nodded. He took a deep breath and rocked back and forth twice before saying, "Well, everything will work out. I'll save us all."

The blue haired man looked down, and bit his lip. Ace asked what was wrong in concern. "Was I anywhere close to rescuing you? At Marineford?"

Ace shook his head, not going to lie or sugarcoat things. "Everyone failed by Luffy. Even then, he was dead on his feet. I was a terrible big brother. But, getting sent back gave me a chance to change everything, right? As long as nobody gets in my way, I'll fix everything!" Ace said, sounding determined. Deuce smiled at him and nodded in agreement.

-x-

Ace glared at his narcolepsy medication. It was because of this that it made him seem unbelievable. That it had all been a bad dream because he was out of pills. That he hadn't seen the future, his future and his death.

It had been two weeks, and the feeling of hurt and anger had not faded. He still couldn't look at his father or brother without fighting off a scowl. And it started to show. The fractures in their relationships. It was going to fall apart unless Ace proved himself soon. But he had no idea how to.

He'd tried multiple things and nothing worked. He could barely stand being anywhere near Teach without wanting to strangle him. He had spoken to him, though, fishing for any sense of betrayal. The asshole just pretended to be confused with why Ace was angry with him. He gave off no sign of being a traitor, but Ace knew his true colors.

Ace had also started to act suspicious when it came to Thatch. Since he couldn't remember when Thatch was killed, he had become clingy. It was distracting him from his duties, which he barely was able to pull off sloppily. His attitude was being noticed by more and more people.

His excuse was he wasn't sleeping well, and might need a pill change. It was a good excuse, because people knew he did get cranky when he had a disrupted sleep schedule. He'd even resorted to having fake sleep attacks. Everything was going to shit. The year he'd worked to be close to everyone seemed to be slipping away.

Nobody noticed what he did late at night. Since he had his own bathroom, he could do anything he wanted and not be caught. And since the wounds healed just fine after he got rid of the haki razors, nobody knew about his late night self harm.

Nobody knew the nightmares he had. The nightmares that he would wake up and Thatch was already dead. That he saw the future for nothing other than to put him through pain. Deuce stuck with him through everything. He was there for him at every corner, and Ace started hanging out with him more than anyone else. He could trust Deuce the most.

The only thing that improved his mood over the last couple of weeks was Luffy's first wanted poster. 30,000,000 for a first bounty. He was so proud, and looked forward to seeing him. Even if he wasn't going to hunt down Teach, he still would go visit Luffy when he could. He couldn't wait to see his baby brother. Who would trust his word no matter what. He missed his brother.

It was at breakfast three days later that Ace snapped. He was lined up for getting food, which was like a buffet table along the long bar counter. They'd serve themselves while Thatch cooked in real time. He had the misfortune of being behind Teach in line. When he severed his food, the bastard had the gall to say, "Man, Commander Thatch is the best cook in the world. What would we do without him? Zehahah-" and his face was slammed into the counter.

Ace couldn't control himself. This man that murdered Thatch in cold blood had the gall to say he was the best? That "what would they do without him"?! Ace knew what they would do! They'd mourn, unable to eat for days! They'd all be devastated! Haruta would resort to self harm! Ace would go off to avenge him and make everything worse.

"Fuck you! You liar! Don't you fucking _dare say that!"_ Ace raged, punched and burned Teach until he was yanked away violently by Jozu. "Let me go! Let me go, now!"

"Ace, what's the matter with you?! Calm down!" Jozu shouted, holding Ace's arms behind his head in a choke hold to keep him still.

"You don't know anything, Jozu! Let me go! You'll regret this!" Ace screamed, kicking his legs but unable to get out of the hold of the larger commander. He was using haki so Ace couldn't burn him, accidentally or purposely. Marco flew in front of him, and took his face.

He looked concerned greatly. "Ace, calm down! Someone get Teach treatment!" Marco shouted for the bleeding man, who was knocked out from having his head slammed into the bar counter. Ace relished in causing him pain. He saw Deuce watching with his hands in front of his mouth, looking horrified.

"You don't know shit, Marco! What he did!" Ace shouted, tears in his eyes. Then he was unconscious from a burst of targeted haki.

He came to in the cold, back against a cold wall and hands above his head. He slowly woke, and realized where he was. The brig. They'd put him in the brig. He hung his head, cursing himself. What was the point anymore? Why was he here anymore? Marco was there, looking at him in worry and anger.

Ace stared at him challengingly. "Teach has a concussion," Marco said, as if it should make Ace feel guilt. Ace didn't respond, just pulled his legs up and straightened his back. They were seastone cuffs. Of course they were. "Ace, what happened to you?"

Ace scoffed. "I already _told you._ Maybe if you fucking cared you'd be on my side. But you've shown your true colors." Ace's voice was full of ice, masking the emotional pain he felt. The self-hatred, the hopelessness. He'd been betrayed, trying to kill Teach. Well, he wasn't dead though. Thatch wasn't dead, either. Thatch couldn't die.

Marco sighed, and they both looked up when the large door opened with a screech. Of course it was rusty, no one was ever put down here. Pops was there, looking at him in disappointment and sadness. Ace knew he was fired, he was no longer commander. He'd abused one of his own division members. It didn't matter if Ace knew what he'd done was right in the long run.

To everyone else, it was wrong. "Ace, I am so disappointed," he said sadly. Ace felt a twinge of hurt behind the anger. Ace didn't respond, just stared at him blankly. Then, he asked if they were going to kill him. In an empty, blank voice, he asked his "family" if they were going to kill him. Both of them looked shocked.

"No, we're not going to kill you, Ace. But, you're suspended for two months from being a commander. We won't kill you, but you need to calm down and cool off. We have a mission for you, to distance yourself from the cause of your stress," Pops said. Ace wished they'd fire him. Instead of giving him conflicted feelings. Of being hated and being loved. "But this has caused many problems. People are questioning you're allegiance, so we need to calm the situation."

He wanted it to be over. He was tired of this. Tired of them not believing him. He couldn't do this anymore, he couldn't. "Fine," Ace said simply. Whitebeard and Marco looked at him sadly. But he said nothing more, and didn't make eye contact. "Are you gonna leave me strung up here all night?" he asked coldly.

"For now, yes. While we figure out what to do," Whitebeard said, and Ace looked at him in disbelief. They were going to leave him in sea stone handcuffs, in the dark and cold brig? That was it. He wasn't staying. He was done.

"Fine," Ace said again with a sigh. Marco stayed with him for a long time until he realized that Ace wouldn't be speaking back to him. No matter what Marco said, as long as it wasn't an apology, Ace didn't care. He showed no care, just stared at the floor or the wall until Marco left.

-x-

"Ace, Ace c'mon," Deuce whispered, unlocking his cuffs at 2 in the morning. Ace woke up and jumped up once his energy came rushing back. Ace was staring at him sadly, and held up the backpack full of Ace's necessities. How had he known? That he wanted to go?

"How did you know?"

Deuce said, "The pain in your face earlier. This is too much, Ace. We need a break, at least for a little bit." Ace took the backpack, and hugged Deuce. "I'm glad to go with you. Striker is already in the water, waiting."

Ace sniffled, trying not to cry. He knew this was for the best, though. This wasn't home as long as Teach was there. He couldn't do anything here. No matter what he said, nothing was changing, and he would snap again, even if he wasn't commander at the moment. He put the backpack on, and his boots.

"I have one last thing to do," Ace said, and the two of them snuck out of the brig. Ace ran into one of Marco's division in the hall, and let off a burst of haki to knock him out. He would leave without a word to anyone. He wouldn't make this needlessly painful. He would make a clean break, that was what was best for him.

When he'd joined and during the golden year, Ace had never felt happier. But it was all fake. He knew that. They never trusted him fully. They trusted the originals over him. He sighed, and headed to the library, pulling out the devil fruit encyclopedia and ripping out the page of the dark dark fruit, before hurriedly writing, "If Thatch dies, you have no one to blame but yourself."

He snuck it into his room. Deuce had packed clothes, his hat and dagger, food and water in the watermelon bag. He knew Ace didn't want to bring anything else with him. No photos, no letters. Nothing tying him to this place. Ace was done. He could only hope Thatch wasn't killed. There was nothing he could do to prevent it. That much was very clear by now.

He and Deuce snuck back out onto deck, and dropped down onto striker. It was just big enough for the two of them to fit, if not comfortably. But that didn't matter. They just had to get away. And Deuce had a log pose with him from the many they had in the navigation room that had once been under Ace's direction.

Ace looked one last time at the ship before steeling himself and turning away, letting out his flames and propelling him and his best friend away from their former home. They'd start out again. They'd start from the beginning and once again form a crew, not thinking about their happy days on the Whitebeard pirates ship.

-x-

"I brought food, Ace," Thatch said sadly, opening the brig door to walk to give Ace breakfast. Even if he was a prisoner, he had to eat. But then he saw that the brig was completely empty, and Ace's cuffs he'd been put in were unlocked, the key resting on the ground.

He dropped the food in shock and horror, everything breaking and spilling on the floor before he went sprinting out of the room and back to the commander's hall, shoving everyone aside. He pushed Haruta into the wall and slammed Ace's door open.

Thatch felt calm when he saw everything was in its place, but then noticed Ace's hat and dagger were gone. And he saw a piece of paper on the bed, and picked it up. A page out of the devil fruit book of the dark dark fruit Ace had brought up only a few weeks ago.

He turned it on its back, and saw "If Thatch dies, you have no one to blame but yourself." Thatch had tears in his eyes, before he ran back out of the room, ignoring frantic commanders and ran to the armory to find striker missing. He broke into tears. Ace had left. Ace had left them without a word.

But… why? And what did it have to do with Thatch dying? He sobbed as he went back to Ace's room, trying to find anything else. He searched the trash cans, under the bed, finding clothes missing from the wardrobe and dresser.

He went into the small bathroom and found something horrifying. He found a single razor blade coated in blood buried in the waste paper basket. Thatch didn't know what was going on. Why Ace had left, but whatever it was for, Ace had been cutting himself and _no one noticed._ He had never felt like more scum. He had never felt like such a bad brother.

Ace had been self harming and nobody had noticed. Thatch crumpled the page in his fist before going to find Pops. He found him in the galley, where many but not all of the crew had gathered for the meal. He dropped the crumpled paper on the table in front of the captain as well as the bloody blade.

"Ace is gone," Thatch said coldly. Pops' eyes widened and he looked horrified, the other commanders at the table freaking out as well. Pops read the paper and then looked at the blade. "That was hidden in Ace's trashcan. What the _fuck_ did he tell you that you didn't belive?" Thatch demanded furiously, the tears in his eyes still.

Marco was there, hands over his mouth. What had they done?

-x-

"Nice one, cap!" Deuce said when Ace took out a huge sea king, laughing at it's confused expression as it floated upside down, dead. He was sweating under his tank top, hiding what had once been his pride and joy. He and Deuce were heading to Paradise to find Luffy at Alabasta, and maybe stay with him and his crew for a bit.

They had a small boat that was hooked to a striker so Deuce could stay on it and they could sleep at night. It had been three weeks since they defected, and every night was full of tears while every day was full of the feeling of being free. They could do whatever they wanted.

Ace missed his previous life, missed Thatch and Haruta, but his memoires were tinged with anger. Doubt that he'd ever been seen as important. Doubt that he'd ever mattered in the long run. Nobody had come after them, they were clearly no longer welcomed.

Every day was focused on meeting up with Luffy again. He would help him out more, stay with him for longer than he had in his previous life. After everything, Ace still knew it wasn't a dream, and would never think otherwise. He'd broken everything to stop that, how could he see it as a simple nightmare now?

"Just cause I'm not a Whitebeard anymore doesn't mean I'm weak," Ace said as Deuce chopped up some of the sea king and Ace fried it. They didn't say anything else about that statement.

"Should be getting closer to the next island soon. Maybe we can make use of the money we got from that rookie crew," Deuce said conversationally as they ate. It felt familiar. Like three yeras ago, when they'd started out on that dingy boat all alone. It felt nice, nostalgic. Ace had hope they could be happy again, even without the Whitebeards.

Ace said, "I want to buy a new outfit. I don't want to look like second division commander Ace anymore. I'll still keep Lu's hat, though." Deuce nodded, and said that he was already wearing a shirt, so it made him look different.

That was true. It was weird, wearing a shirt again. A full one, not an open one. It was just a tank top that had been Duece's but he gave it to Ace so he could hide the Whitebeard tattoo. He had defected, he was no longer one of them. He was Firefist Ace, but not a commander anymore. Still strong, but no longer affiliated with the yonko crew.

Ace was trying to talk himself into getting the Whitebeard mark removed. It wasn't getting far though. He didn't want to be reminded of them when they never trusted him in the first place. At least he couldn't see it himself, since it was on his back. It wasn't on his arm, leg or chest. He didn't see it at all, which was good.

Deuce had the mark on his ankle, but a shoe easily covered it. If Ace hadn't had a bounty poster, nobody would know they were former Whitebeards. Ace had never heard of a Whitebeard defecting (besides Teach) so he was a first. He didn't care.

Maybe he'd join the warlords this time. Maybe he could dismantle the marines from the inside. That would be interesting. He wouldn't even need a crew to be a warlord, since Crocodile and Mihawk were both solo and warlords. Deuce had thought it was an interesting idea. Now that they were no longer bound to someone else's crew, that decision would be theirs to make completely.

After eating the sea king, Ace got them back on track to heading to the nearest island. It had a marine base on it, which they would raid for fun and some money. They were still trouble makers, even if they were solo. Ace whistled in the wind while Deuce looked over the maps he'd stolen to take with them.

"There's a stormy area to the South, might want to go around it," Deuce said over the sound of the wind.

"Roger!" Ace said, and turned the small craft just to the side enough to head west. He hummed as he propelled them, so glad Deuce had built this for him. It was so useful. A simple sailboat or rowboat would have gotten them nowhere before Marco caught up to them.

He hated Marco.

He missed Thatch and Haruta. He hated Marco and resented Pops. He wished they'd gotten angry at him in the end, but they had left him chained in the brig, which was pretty bad on its own. Ace knew the feeling of being trapped in cold, in sea stone. He remembered the feeling from Impel Down.

When they reached an island the next day, they went all out on the marine raid. Ace was frustrated when they kept referring to him as a Whitebeard, but it was to be expected. Word wasn't out that he'd left. Hopefully him wearing the shirt would show something had happened. He wondered if Gramps would be happy.

To be honest, deep down, if he got captured and was to be executed, he'd be glad to have the Whitebeards or their allies not come for him. They wouldn't be hurt, and he wouldn't be hurt. And he also didn't want Lu to come for him. But he couldn't wait to see him! Maybe he could help him out fighting Crocodile and then become the next warlord.

It was sounding real fun. Being able to do whatever the fuck he wanted without the marines on his tail. It would be exciting. Lonely, but exciting. Both he and Deuce knew they wouldn't have successfully gotten away if they asked all of the former Spades to come, and many of them were happy there. Some had formed close bonds or even romantic relationships with the Whitebeards.

Deuce was with him to the death, so it wasn't surprising that he came along. Well, he had planned everything out and was the reason they'd gotten away successfully.

After they decimated the marine forces, they leisurely took all of the treasure and stuffed it into a bag, stepping over bloodied bodies. They took a camera den and flipped it off, showing Ace clearly had a shirt on, covering the precious Whitebeard mark. Everyone would be so angry at him for it, but it didn't concern him anymore, and he wouldn't advertise the Whitebeards.

They went into town and splurged on food and desserts, along with more supplies. Nobody tried to stop them, many still fearing second division commander, Firefist Ace. He resisted snapping at them that he wasn't a Whitebeard anymore, and didn't want to be called one.

Those fakers never trusted him in the first place. Hadn't even noticed his inner turmoil. They all spoke about being so close, and didn't even notice him when he was gaunt, red raised lines across his arms when he cut a bit too deep. Nobody cared. It might have been a test that he didn't know he was performing. A test to see if they truly knew him.

He was at a bakery with Deuce, spacing out, when he said, "Ace. Yo, Ace." The freckled young man jerked out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Did you want to go to the bar?" Deuce asked, though it didn't seem like what he was really wondering, and Ace was glad he didn't ask what was on his mind.

"Not really. Not now, maybe later. Unless you want to. I'm not your captain right now, we're partners in crime," Ace said with a grin.

Deuce laughed. "Nah, you'll always be my captain. Even under Whitebeard, you were my captain."

Ace grinned. "Aww, how sweet," he said, and Deuce blushed, shoving his arm. "But we're equals to me. I won't be telling you what to do or how to feel. What to say or not say. What to not do."

Deuce signed and agreed. Ace didn't want to be gagged again, and wouldn't do it to Deuce ever. Being told he couldn't tell anyone else of his pressing information had been a slap to the face, just to not cause trouble. Well, looked where he was now. No longer a Whitebeard and far from that "family".

His true family was Luffy and Sabo, his true best friend was Deuce. He had absolute trust in them to stick with him, unlike he had for the Whitebeards. He didn't want to remember them with bitterness in his heart, but it was better than overwhelming sadness. That chapter of his life was over.

-x-

Marco stared at the devil fruit that fucked everything up. Teach had attacked Thatch last night. Thatch was in the infirmary, but was in stable condition and awake. Teach was dead now, and Marco was consumed with guilt and self-hatred. He had bags under his eyes, hadn't shaved in weeks, and was ignored by his closest brothers.

Even Pops was being ignored by most of Ace's division, the former Spades, and Thatch, Haruta and Izo. They wouldn't forgive the first mate and captain easily. Ace had left a couple weeks ago, because they didn't believe his premonition until it had come to pass. It was only because of his warning that Thatch wasn't dead.

Once the chef had learned of what Ace had "dreamt", he carried his swords around. And when he found the cursed fruit, he had baited Teach into betraying, showing that Ace was right and they pushed him away for _no reason._

Marco walked outside, and tossed the fruit into the ocean without a second thought, then headed to the infirmary, where Thatch was with a gun shot in his forearm. That was all Teach could do before he was beheaded by Thatch's blade.

A newspaper dropped down on his head, and he too distracted to notice it until it was upon him. He saw the front page image and crumpled the paper, wincing. It was a photo of Ace, grinning and wiping out a marine base. What hurt was that he had a tank top, hiding the Whitebeard mark completely.

That hurt so badly, like he was burned in the heart. This was his fault, he was the one that told Ace he could say nothing to anyone else about his premonition. They'd thought it was a dream. And that had caused this. Ace hated them. And with good reason. They had shunned him, favorited someone else over him.

He had been a commander, as Izo had pointed out, which had made him automatically more trustworthy than anyone else. Izo hadn't said a word to him in a week, and Thatch hadn't made eye contact in even longer. Marco folded the paper up and tucked it under his arm. He needed to check on Thatch. Maybe he'd speak to him.

When he entered the infirmary, he saw Haruta was sitting with Thatch, both of them talking quietly. When they sensed Marco, neither looked up but they'd stopped speaking. Haurta turned his back to Marco. "How's your arm, Thatch?" Marco asked quietly. Thatch didn't reply. Marco sighed, and held the paper. "Ace is safe. He landed on another island with Deuce." That got his brothers' attention.

Haruta snatched the paper from him, and swore when he saw the front page image. Seeing Ace covering the mark was incredibly painful. They couldn't hate him for it. He'd been driven away. Had been driven to self-harm and none of them had noticed. They were terrible brothers, of course he left.

The crew was in shambles. The second division didn't listen to a thing Marco said, so Thatch took them under his wing. They demanded they get Ace back. That he wanted them to go after him. And they hadn't. It had been weeks, and he'd moved on from them. He had no obligation to show the mark now that he had defected.

But where would he go now? What would he do now? He had Deuce, who was the one that freed him that night. They had just left him in the brig. And thinking over what Ace had told him that night, he'd been chained in Impel Down for weeks. And they'd carelessly done the same to him in what was supposed to be his _home._

Would Ace reform another crew, start from scratch? Marco wasn't wanting to hope he'd return. Even though he only hated Marco and Pops, they were the leaders. Marco had been close to Ace, yet had treated him like trash. Why? Why had he done that? He had favored Teach based on knowing him longer. It wasn't right. He had been incredibly biased.

"Once my arm is better, we're going after him. You're not welcome to come," Thatch said to Marco, finally addressing him. His voice and gaze was cold. Marco wished he could go, apologize, but Ace probably wanted to see him the least. Even more than Pops, Ace didn't want to see Marco. Didn't want to even see his face.

"Okay," Marco said quietly, and took the paper to go find Pops and give him the bad news. He walked through the ship, pained at the glares and scowls. He didn't know how they were going to fix things without Ace coming back. He found Pops in his room, reading. Marco knocked and then opened the door.

"Hello, son," Whitebeard said in a tired voice. He closed his book, shoulders slumped. "How are you?"

Marco gave a shaky smile. "Besides being hated by my family, I'm doing fine," he said in a wobbly voice. "But Ace is safe. He and Deuce attacked a marine base on Katra island," the first mate said and handed Whitebeard the paper with shaking hands. He didn't want to see Pops' face when he saw Ace covering his mark. The mark of their family.

Whitebeard took the paper and looked at the front page. "Is it over?" Marco asked quietly, voice high pitched. "Did we ruin everything? No-nobody will talk to or look at me." Whitebeard put the paper down.

"Things will heal. We need to find Ace and apologize. We have to repent," Whitebeard said softly.

Marco shook his head. "We didn't believe him, belittled him, gagged him, and then threw him in the brig. He left, covering the mark. How can we fix this? How can we get him to come back? You know how hard it was to get his trust in the first place, regaining it would be even harder this time. He's moved on," Marco said, hating his words but knowing they were the truth. "Look how happy he looks!"

Whitebeard winced. "He loved it here. He only hates you and me, not the rest of the crew. It's our mistakes that caused him to leave. Hopefully, he can return for everyone else. But we know where he's going. He's gonna go see Luffy. And we have to let him know Thatch is alive," he said strongly. "I won't let things end this way."

"You may not have a choice, Pops."

"I know."

-x-

"It's perfect!" Ace exclaimed at the small boat he and Deuce had bought. It was just big enough for both of them, and striker could trail behind it or drive it. They'd spent every penny they'd stolen from the last three marine ships to buy it. "Finally we can sleep under a roof."

He was munching on candy and he and Deuce transferred the blankets and basic necessities onto their fishing boat. It would be destroyed easily, but they had already gone through this once before. Protecting a dingy boat at the beginning of their pirate journey.

"Wanna leave this island? We've been here a couple days?" Deuce asked. Ace nodded, but they had a problem. First of all, how to get down to Fishman Island, and how to make it past the Whitebeard owned territory. Ace was an enemy now, he'd defected. And he didn't want them ever trying to get him to come back.

Then he thought of something. "Wait. Wait a second," Ace said quietly. He grabbed his arm tightly with one hand, face scrunched. His clothed back burned. He had to make it official. He had to let go, he was never going back. They didn't deserve him. They didn't deserve his forgiveness, and Thatch was probably dead by now. He would never go back, especially since Marco and Whitebeard's actions got Thatch killed.

"What is it?" Deuce asked in worry.

"I… I have to make it official. They… put me in jail, didn't believe me. Forced me to not say anything, forced me to not protect Thatch. They didn't have faith in me, they never trusted me," Ace said, voice shaking. "I don't want to wear a shirt anymore, I want to make it official, Deuce.

"I want the mark removed," Ace said in a firm voice. Even with the tears in his eyes, his voice was firm. He wanted to move on. He wanted to forget.

His best friend hugged him, and said, "Okay, but we don't have the money right now. It's a big tattoo. We have to steal some more." Ace nodded, and hated that he felt momentary relief at postponing it. He knew they would need to stay in the same place for a bit to get the multiple sessions done to remove what was once his pride and joy.

Ace needed to move on. It had been over two months. Two months since he disappeared into the night. He wasn't returning. He never wanted to see Marco again. He never wanted to be lied to, that he was loved and important. He wasn't, and probably never had been. Why had they even made him division commander if they never trusted him? What was the point? Because he was powerful? Useful? Because he followed orders well? After all, he had said nothing about the future killing of his "brother because he was _told to._

"We'll invade another marine base. Next island," Deuce said. Ace nodded, and the two of them got into their little ship. Ace tied striker to the front, and got them away from the island, speeding away, though he had to propel more flames to drag the heavier ship behind him. Ace wanted to see Luffy. He wanted a hug, a smile, from his only real brother. His only sibling who loved him no matter what.

Had loved him enough to break into Impel Down, practically kill himself to save him. He wanted a hug. He wanted a Luffy hug. While he drove striker, he cried.

-x-

When they found the next marine base, they stole everything, leaving no man alive. Perhaps killing everyone wasn't the best way to become a warlord, but plenty of the current warlords had killed countless marines and civilians. Ace didn't want to work for the world government, but would usually get to do whatever the hell he wanted if he became warlord.

It would be a new experience, and he could quit if he ever wanted to. He was sure Luffy would be understanding if he decided to become one. After all, Hancock helped him break into Impel Down and she was a warlord. Luffy wasn't judgemental, and would love Ace regardless.

When the base was gone, Ace snagged a den den that connected the Marineford before he and Deuce concealed their ships and headed into town to finally do what Ace knew he needed to do. He walked into the closest tattoo parlor to the docks.

"Hello, can I help y- F-firefist Ace?" the tattoo artist said, shaking at the sight of Ace. Ace gave him a smile.

"Yes, I'd like to get a tattoo removed," Ace said, sitting across from the guy at the front desk. The place seemed nice, and had good reviews based on what the sailors said at the docks. Ace had asked about the best tattoo place on the island, and this one was the recommended. The artist looked to Ace's arm tattoo, but Ace gave a sad smile. "Not that one. This one," he said, pulling off his tank top to show the Whitebeard mark.

"No, I can't. I can't remove a Whitebeard tattoo," the man said in a shaking voice. Ace frowned deeply and asked why not. "He'll kill me if I remove one of his sons' tattoos!"

Ace sighed. "I'm not his son anymore, he won't care," Ace said in a sad voice. "Besides, it's not like anyone would find out it was _you_ that did this. I have the money to pay you for it, and I'll be very cooperative." The guy still refused, but apologized for doing so. "Then do you know any tattoo artist who _would_ remove it?"

The guy wrote down a list of artists on the island he thought were brave enough to do it. Ace didn't blame him for being afraid. The fear was perfectly justified. Everyone knew how important the tattoos were to the yonko crew. "Thank you," Ace said with a bow. He walked out of the building. "C'mon, that guy was too afraid to," Ace said simply, and Deuce nodded, following him deeper into town.

-x-

"There it is!" Haruta shouted, pointing to striker on the deck of a small ship. It was docked at the harbor of a rough town. Ace's reputation and signature craft had kept it safe. "You can leave now, Marco," the commander said, voice hard once again.

Thatch, Haruta and Marco had followed Ace's trace, Marco pulling the ship in phoenix form much like Ace used striker to do the same. Marco nodded, and dropped the rope before flying away to wait somewhere, a baby den den with him.

They docked the Whitebeard ship, a smaller version just big enough for five people, even though there were three of them. Haruta and Thatch ran up the docks, and asked the nearest worker if Firefist Ace had passed. When they heard about him, they were both horrified.

"Oh yeah, he was looking for a good artist to remove his tattoo. I recommended him to Franny's Parlor, at the edge of town," the worker said, and turned away to get back to what he'd been doing. Both Thatch and Haruta were frozens, faces white.

"He-he's getting the mark removed?" Haruta whispered, hands in front of his mouth. Thatch said nothing, but started sprinting so they could stop him. But, if he was doing this, he truly had moved on, and didn't want to return. He was getting rid of the thing that bound him to the crew. How could they convince him not to, if it had gone this far? If he hated them so much he wanted to erase what connected them, why would he return?

When they reached the parlor, Ace wasn't there. They begged the man to tell them where Ace had gone, and the guy was convinced they were going to kill him, even though he had refused to remove the mark. When they both deemed him useless, they both just went sprinting for any tattoo parlor they could find.

They searched each one, not finding Ace, until they were furthest into the city, to a gray stone building that looked very sketchy. It was the only remaining parlor, though. Ace had to be there. Thatch was about to throw the door open when he got a hard punch to the face, throwing him off and back, shocking both him and Haruta.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Deuce asked angrily.

"Deuce! Oh, it's so good to see you!" Thatch said, rubbing his jaw. "Is Ace inside?" The blue haired man stepped in front of the front entrance. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"He's getting the mark removed, Thatch. It's over," Deuce said in a hard voice. Thatch blinked twice.

"N-No, it's not. We believe him! Teach is dead, he did try to attack me! Everyone hates Marco and Pops, we don't approve of what happened! Please let us stop him! We want him back!" Thatch begged. Deuce didn't move, face still hard. "You're both our family. We need you back!"

This pissed the rogue pirate off. "You fucking chained him in the brig! What kind of family does that?!"

"One that makes mistakes! None of us were told about what happened until Ace was gone! Please, we need you back! We need Ace back!" Deuce shook his head.

"You don't know how much you've hurt him. Even if its not all of you, it was Marco and fucking Whitebeard that did that to him! The captain, his supposed 'father'! How could he ever forgive you for something like that?!"

Haruta pulled a sword. "Move, Deuce!" he commanded. Thatch stepped in front of him, telling him they would get nowhere if they just attacked Deuce. "I don't care, we're stopping Ace. Let him make his own decisions!" the smaller commander shouted angrily.

"Don't you think having the mark removed is a pretty big choice?" Deuce asked coldly. "He wants to forget the pain you put him through!" Thatch was crying, begging Deuce to move, to give them another chance. "No. No, Thatch. I'm so happy you're alive, but I don't want Ace to be hurt again like he was."

"We won't do it again! We won't make a terrible mistake!" Thatch shouted, and Haruta finally shoved Deuce out of the way and ran for the entrance. Deuce tripped him and pinned him down. He was strong, more strong physically than Haruta, even though he wasn't as powerful as he was with his sword.

Thatch ran past Deuce and Haruta, slamming the doors open, finding the lobby empty. "Ace! Ace, don't do it!" the chef screamed, running through the warehouse, looking for his brother, using his haki. There were many customers, and he finally found Ace, laying on his stomach with his shirt off while the tattoo artist was cleaning it. "Ace!"

The former commander jerked upright, looking at Thatch in shock and then anger. "What are you doing here?" he asked, a mask of hurt and anger on his face.

"You were right. Teach did betray! None of us knew anything until you left and Marco told us what happened. You saved me, please, give us another chance. Please! We miss you!" Thatch said, getting straight to the point. His hands were in front of his face in a begging gesture. Ace's face fell, but the anger was still there.

"I'm not going back, Thatch. I want to move on, I want to forget," Ace said in a hard voice. The tattoo guy was standing at the wall, clearly not wanting to get involved in the fight, but also watching with semi-interest. Wondering where this would go.

"You can't! You can't, Ace!" Thatch cried. "We're family, we're brothers, we always will be! Pops is our father-"

"He's _not_ my father! I have no father, I want no father!" Ace roared, bursting into flames, though tears were down his face. "I'm not a Whitebeard anymore!" Thatch looked like he'd been burned.

"N-No, you don't mean that. Everyone makes mistakes! You mean so much to us, please! Pl-please, Ace, please! At least let Pops talk to you! Let him apologize!" Thatch sobbed, walking to Ace and grabbing his hands. Ace yanked them away, his face a mask of pain and misery.

Ace balled his fists. "All I wanted to do was save you. And they didn't let me. It would have been their fault if you died! You were betrayed, too! They locked me in the brig and left me there. What the fuck kind of family does that?! You should be pissed, too!" Ace raged.

"I am! We all are! They were wrong! Nobody wants to talk to them, nobody forgives them! THEY HURT YOU! They hurt our baby brother and we didn't know until you were gone! There is no excuse! Absolutely no excuse! Yeah, everyone makes mistakes, but hey should have known better!" Thatch roared, and Ace had never seen him so angry, clearly surprised. Thatch grabbed Ace's shoulders, hugging him. "Please, Ace, come home to us! Let us fix things. We love you, we miss you, nothing is the same without you," the chef sobbed.

Ace was frozen. He didn't say anything, but didn't try to get away again. Thatch's tears and snot were all over Ace's neck and chest. He was sobbing, begging the world to make Ace return, to fix things again.

"I can't, Thatch. Whitebeard was supposed to be my father. I trusted him, I believed that he loved me. I don't anymore," Ace said softly, and pushed Thatch away. Thatch's heart broke, and he sobbed into his hands. Ace looked at him sadly and went back to the chair, laying back on his stomach.

"A-Ace," Thatch whimpered. Then, the window was opened and Marco dropped in.

The tattoo guy sighed. "What now?" he grumbled. Ace looked up, and scowled at Marco, who looked miserable. The bags under his eyes, the stubble, the pale skin. It made Ace look surprised.

Thatch shoved at him. "You won't help anything here, Marco!" Thatch said in tears. "This is your fucking fault, get out!" the chef said angrily. Marco grabbed his hands, stopping him from shoving at him. Thatch's face was bright red and puffy, soaked in tears and snot.

-x-

Marco looked horrible. He looked absolutely wrecked and ill. It shocked Ace, but what shocked him even more was the pure hate in Thatch's voice directed at him. And Marco just put up with it, looking broken. He accepted Thatch's word, that it was all his fault. Marco was speechless, but he looked hurt.

He turned to Ace. "A...Ace," he said softly. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Since Ace had left. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, we're all so sorry. We're broken without you. We… they hate us. They hate me and Pops. We deserve it," he stuttered.

Ace didn't understand. He couldn't understand how everyone turned against Pops. And it made him angry. So, now that they regret what they did, they wanted him back? They didn't think of his feelings or emotions when he was there, but now that they were facing the consequences, they wanted Ace back? What, so they could just fix everything? Acting like Ace's leaving caused all of this. Their actions brought this about.

And while Ace hated the thought of his former family turning on one another, he didn't exactly want to go back to a place like that. Ace said nothing, just gave him an angry expression. Tears welled up in Marco's eyes. "Please, give us another chance. One more, we'll never make you feel unloved again."

Ace looked away. "Things won't be how they were before. Too much has happened. I'm too angry and bitter," he said truthfully. Then he sighed and sat down. "I just want to forget."

"Then we'll never mention this ever again, and we can just pretend it never happened."

"But it _did,_ Marco," Ace replied in a firm voice. "I want to get the mark removed. I want to start over. Isn't that proof enough that I'm done? I don't want to be seen as a Whitebeard anymore. I don't want to work under someone, who could gag me from speaking again. Who will tell me what and what not to do when it's something as serious as the murder of a loved one!" Ace shouted at the end.

"Teach is dead. It's all over," Marco said in a small voice. Deuce came into the room, slamming the door open and bloodied, cut marks all over him and blood on his knuckles.

"Deuce! What happened?!" Ace shouted in horror, running over and checking his wounds, running right past Marco and Thatch, concern over his true friend eclipsing anger and hurt towards them.

Deuce said, "Haruta," simply. "Are you okay?" he asked, glancing at Thatch and Marco. One who looked ill and the other devastated. Ace looked down and didn't answer. The tattoo artist was patient, seeming entertained but saying nothing to show he was even in the room anymore.

"I don't know," Ace said quietly. He reached his hands behind his back, gripping at the mark he wanted to hide, to get rid of. To not be under anybody ever again. He missed what they were, but he was sure he'd never forget what happened. How he was treated. There was no going back to how things were before. It would always taint his memory, and his happiness there.

If he did return, it would not go back to normal. This was his final choice, he could return or move on like he wanted to deep down. They could do it again, put him through hell again. The absolute loneliness he'd felt, even with Deuce. The way he'd felt like he didn't matter. He had been so happy, so _sure_ that they'd believe him.

They went to war for him, yet locked him up and didn't believe his dire warning? They'd brushed him off, like he was familiar with. When Gramps or Dadan would just shove him aside, like he wasn't worth attention or love.

Looking back at Thatch, he felt pity, but no desire to return with him. It just wasn't there. His heart was broken, they had broken him like the world had before. His expression hardened. "I'm not going back. I'm getting my tattoo removed here and then am going to Paradise to be with my real brother. He would have believed me on the spot."

Thatch fell to his knees, and Marco put his face in his hands, breaking into tears. "It's over, guys," Ace said softly, and returned to the chair to have his tattoo removed. He was going to start over again. Technically, since he was sure he'd just been reverted back to the past and it had not been a vision, he did have a second chance at life, and he wanted to try something different this time.

Haruta was bloody as he came in and joined in the sobbing as they watched Ace have his tattoo slowly removed right in front of them. As he slowly snipped away the strings that tied them together as "family".

**Three Months Later**

Ace and Deuce were staying in the little hotel on Drum Island. Things were different this time around. Teach hadn't attacked, so they had an asshole king that Ace knew would be a problem based on what Luffy had told him of his adventures when they'd met in Alabasta in Ace's former life.

So, Ace went to the castle with Deuce, both of them easily climbing up the mountain and attacking the castle for the guy to ditch his kingdom. While Ace knew things would never be the same, he wanted at least some things to be how they were. The timeline had already changed way too much. Too many things had to do with Teach betraying, the dominos had fallen, and things would not go how they did before. Ace wasn't even going to try since it would be pointless.

He waited for the Going Merry to arrive, and when it did, Ace stayed out of Luffy's way so he could make friends with Chopper and save his navigator. There was no reason for Ace to help out in this adventure, so he and Deuce headed to the empty Going Merry and made themselves comfortable.

They hauled striker onto deck and inside. Ace knew Luffy would be glad to have him, knew there was no way his baby brother would decline. So, they chilled in the Going Merry. It was so tiny compared to the Moby Dick, but it had been three months since he left, three months to get used to not being there anymore.

After the tattoo was removed, Ace felt free. Felt happy. He sometimes had moments of missing a certain moment of his old life that would pop into his head, but he was never returning. No amount of begging could make him change his mind.

Once the world had seen the mark was gone, it was in the papers non-stop. Firefist Ace had left the Whitebeards. Nobody knew why, but Ace made it clear he was no longer on the yonko crew. He went AWOL and defected for some reason that nobody knew besides the Whitebeards and their allies.

It didn't take too long for the Strawhats to come back to the Going Merry, where Ace was napping in the men's room and Deuce was reading the paper in the galley, drinking a hot chocolate.

They didn't notice they had guests until the ship was far from Drum. Ace climbed out of the men's room, and out on deck, grinning at the sight of his little brother having fun. Zoro, ever the attentive one when it didn't come to directions, saw his first, and drew his swords, demanding who he was.

"ACE!" Luffy screamed.

"Yo, Lu. What's up?" Ace asked with a grin. He was warm inside from seeing his true brother. His own real family member who he could trust with everything he was. Luffy got up and ran to Ace, hugging him. He was clearly surprised when Ace hugged him back just as tightly.

"Luffy, who is this?" Usopp asked fearfully.

Luffy exclaimed, "My big brother, Ace! Ace, what are you doing here?" he asked excitedly. Deuce came out, and bowed, introducing himself as Ace's first mate. "I thought you had a crew. Why are you alone?" Luffy wondered, just realizing something was odd.

"Well, I sort of defected. Now I don't have a crew. I was wondering if I could take a little vacation and travel with you for a bit?"

"Of course!" Luffy exclaimed, while his crew just looked curious about why he had left his crew. "Why did you leave your crew?"

Ace adjusted his hat, looking a bit flustered. "Well, a lot of things happened. They mistreated me pretty bad, so I didn't put up with it and defected. It was hard at first, since I was really close to them. But things changed, and Ieft for good. I'm happy now, and have really wanted to see you for a long time."

The others looked sad for him. He wasn't embarrassed by the sympathy. "But I thought you were a captain. You left your own crew?" Luffy wondered, cocking his head in confusion. Ace ruffled his hair.

"It was a bit more complicated than that. I had originally had my own crew, but then we joined the Whitebeards. I became a commander, but eventually left for good," Ace explained simply. "Deuce came with me. He was my first crew member ever. Met him on a deserted island. The first one I landed on and got stranded! Wasn't a very good start, was it?" he joked.

The Strawhats chuckled. "Wow, Ace. Even I did better than that," Luffy said in surprise, and Ace laughed. "Well, maybe not. I Didn't even get to the first island before my ship got in a whirlpool so I floated around in a barrel for a bit!"

Nami said, "Wow, you really both are brothers." Luffy laughed loudly.

Sanji frowned. "You know, I did hear about a Whitebeard defecting. It was a pretty big deal at the time. Never thought it would be like this. Must have been hard," he said in sympathy. Ace smiled, and told him things were fine now, he was happy again.

"I have so much stuff to tell you Luffy, you probably won't believe me, though," Ace said brightly, looking at his precious brother fondly. He felt warm inside being with Luffy again. This really was what he'd needed for a while now. To be in the presence of a sun like he was. Ace would travel with him for a while, soaking in his love.

"Ooh, tell me, tell me!"

Ace grinned, and sat down to tell his tale, omitting some major spoilers so things would stay fun for the Strawhats.

* * *

**How's that for "not a happy ending"? Lol. Hope you enjoyed. There will be no sequel, Ace has left for good. :(**


End file.
